World Cup Qualifiers
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Lars Söndergaard’s debut as head coach of the women’s national soccer team was a success. The ÖFB squad defeated Slovenia 1-0 (0-0) in the World Cup qualifier at the Wiener-Sportclub-Platz-Stadion on Friday, avenging their 0-1 loss in Koper and moving up to third place in Group A4 ahead of the final round. Slovenia has one point fewer. The group stage concludes on Tuesday.
Austria will be visiting Norway in Oslo, while Slovenia hosts group leader Germany (both at 6:00 p.m.). Whether they finish third or fourth, the action continues in the fall with the playoffs, though third place provides a better starting position on paper. The draw for both playoff rounds will take place on June 18.
Naschenweng as Match Winner
The ÖFB match-winner in Dornbach in front of 3,350 spectators was returnee Katharina Naschenweng with her goal in the 54th minute. It was only the ÖFB’s second goal in the current qualifiers. Following the 0-0 draw against Germany, captain Sarah Puntigam and her teammates scored for the second time in a row. This achievement came in the 250th international match in the history of the ÖFB national team.
In his first lineup, Söndergaard made four changes from the last formation under predecessor Alexander Schriebl. Naschenweng replaced the suspended Sarah Gutmann, Puntigam returned to the team, so Barbara Dunst remained on the bench for the time being. In the attacking trio of a 3-4-3 formation, Julia Hickelsberger-Füller and Sophie Hillebrand got their chance alongside Eileen Campbell. Melanie Brunnthaler and Naika Reissner were substitutes.
“We’ve had some very good days,” Söndergaard had said on Thursday. The following day, there was little sign of that in the first half. Chiara D’Angelo created early scoring chances with two shots (4th, 5th), but the initial period of pressure quickly faded. The Slovenians nearly capitalized on their first chance. Mariella El Sherif managed to thwart a golden opportunity from a tight angle by Zara Kramzar with a last-second foot save (12th minute). In the 32nd minute, the ÖFB goalkeeper would have been beaten, but Kaja Korosec’s volley hit the back of the net.
Posts hit on both sides
On the other end, Campbell was unlucky with a shot off the post following a corner (42'). After the restart, relief came for the ÖFB players. Zala Mersnik managed to parry a volley from Hickelsberger-Füller from a tight angle on the rebound, but she was powerless against Naschenweng’s tap-in from close range. Campbell could have added to the lead but failed to get a shot off (62nd).
Ten minutes later, Naschenweng narrowly missed her second goal with a left-footed shot that hit the crossbar. That nearly came back to haunt them. In the closing minutes, the Slovenians pressed hard for the equalizer, but El Sherif made a strong save on a shot by Zala Kustrin (81') and kept a clean sheet for the rest of the match. She was lucky that the crossbar saved her on a shot by Izabela Krizaj in the final play (93'). That sealed the first victory in the current qualifiers. Söndergaard, 67, who had replaced Schriebl at the end of April, could breathe a sigh of relief.
Austria – Slovenia 1–0 (0–0)
Vienna, Sport-Club-Platz Dornbach
3,350 spectators, Referee Olmedo (ESP).
Goal: 1 –0 (54') Naschenweng
Austria: El Sherif – Wenger, Kirchberger, Hanshaw – Naschenweng, Schasching, Puntigam, D’Angelo – Hickelsberger-Füller (78. Brunnthaler), Campbell (84. Billa), Hillebrand (68. Dunst)
Yellow card for Austria: Schasching
Next (8:35 p.m.): Germany – Norway
Standings:
1. Germany 4 3 1 0 14:1 10
2. Norway 4 3 0 1 9:6 9
3. Austria 5 1 1 3 2:7 4
4. Slovenia 5 1 0 4 3:14 3
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Matches played so far: Germany – Slovenia 5–0, Austria – Norway 0–1, Slovenia – Austria 1–0, Norway – Germany 0:4, Germany – Austria 5:1, Norway – Slovenia 5:0, Austria – Germany 0:0, Slovenia – Norway 2:3
Final round on Tuesday (6 p.m. each): Norway – Austria, Slovenia – Germany
Format: Group winners automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil; remaining teams advance to the playoffs (draw on June 18)
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